Jeanine Callag wrote:

> When I was pregnant with my 2nd son I knew from having a highly food allergic
> > first son to avoid milk,egg, and peanut.  During pregnancy and nursing I
> took a calcium supplement.  It made my infant son very gassy.
>
> The reason why I took this supplement wasn't for my bones, maybe I need to
> clear this up, but for a substitute for dairy in my diet while pregnant and
> nursing.

Maybe I am confused, but why do you think you need calcium suppliments
if you aren't drinking milk then?


> I avoided
> these foods because they seemed to bother my 1st son.  Since,  taking the
> supplement while nursing and avoiding dairy I was wondering if the supplement
> caused the gassiness?

It is very possible.  The suppliment you took has a tremendous amount of
corn in it.  Perhaps the little one has a corn allergy?  Perhaps it
isn't the suppliment at all?


> That's why next time I may not nurse because of the choice of  me eating
> these foods and baby being exposed to these allergens or taking the
> supplement and avoiding dairy, etc.. and have baby be cranky with tummy
> problems.
> Any response to maybe better off not nursing?

Have you looked at all the stuff in a bottle of formula?  It is a
chemical factory!  Why do you think you are going to avoid giving your
child unnecessary potential allergens when the food suppliment you would
be using is chock full of potential allergens?

In addition, are you aware that most babies are exposed during the first
three months of pregnancy - before the mother is even really aware of
the pregnancy enough to modify her diet accordingly?  Most of the time
the allergy is well established long before birth.  Avoiding allergens
during breastfeeding can certainly help because it gives their immature
immune systems a time to grow up and for their intestines to become less
permeable, but it is not the end all, be all.  It will not 'save' any
child from allergic reactions necessarily.

I am really getting the feeling here that you feel you are to blame for
these allergies.  YOU ARE NOT!

You have made wonderful, life giving choices so far.  You have nurtured
and fed these babies for months from your body and you have done a
wonderful job!  Allergies are a horrible thing, but they are not caused
by breastfeeding.  Breastfeeding actually helps eliminate them,
especially in the second and third generations.  For your children and
grandchildren's sake, please continue to feed your children from nature
(you) - not a chemical plant.

I'm sorry if this is off-topic for many of you, but this is near and
dear to my heart.  Mothers are constantly being blamed for many of the
world's ills.  We, in turn, blame ourselves!  We are but an instrument
of nature's grand design.  We were never intended to drink a chemical
formula or take a chemically formulated pill.

--
Kathy Wentz                        unschooler, n. one who never swims
[log in to unmask]                   with the crowd